Hall of Mental Cultivation.
Emperor Jianxi looked at the three people kneeling below, closed his eyes, and his face was as gloomy as water.
Below the stairs were the equally sullen Zhao Xi, the angry Fang Dong, and the sobbing Madam Fang.
Early in the morning, as soon as the court started, the censor Liu came out and said that he wanted to impeach Wang Ding. When Emperor Jianxi heard this, he got angry. His eldest son had just entered the court, and you, a bunch of censors, are impeaching him and bullying his son, right?
Since he was the emperor, he should listen to all opinions and not close his eyes and ears, so he listened to what Liu Su said.
Then Emperor Jianxi's face drooped instantly, his expression became cold and solemn, and he said nothing.
"I would like to report the king for his immoral behavior after drinking and for having sex with General Fangdong's wife, Madam Fang!"
The entire court was in an uproar, staring at Liu Su in disbelief. Liu Su's words were sonorous and full of hatred for evil. Hearing this, the father of the person involved felt ashamed and his eyes went dark. He simply said that Prince Ding was immoral and lusty of beauty. Once he gained power, his ugly side was exposed, and he used his power to force his minister's wife...
Seeing that Emperor Jianxi looked unhappy, several old ministers tried to make excuses for Zhao Xi, saying that Prince Ding had no one in the harem, so it was inevitable that he would be anxious, and it was understandable... This made Emperor Jianxi feel even more upset.
Shangguan Shu still reported that the truth of the case required the parties involved to be interrogated, so Emperor Jianxi adjourned the court early and summoned Zhao Xi, Fang Dong, and Madam Fang.
The other witnesses and cabinet ministers were waiting outside the hall for orders.
In order to save Zhao Xi's last bit of dignity, Emperor Jianxi came to the trial in person.
This matter is neither big nor small.
To say it was a big deal was nothing more than a drunken court lady staying over for the night. Even if this court lady was the wife of a general whom he specially arranged for Zhao Xi, that was fine, it was all doable.
Although it is small, it is actually not small.
All the civil and military officials in the court knew that he wanted to make Prince Ding his heir. Many officials, led by Grand Tutor Yang, saw the signs and automatically submitted to the throne. Only the neutral party, led by Shangguan Shu and Prime Minister Yin, remained.
The neutral party already had reservations about Prince Ding and would wait and see what he would do next. After this incident, the neutral party would use this as an excuse to criticize Prince Ding for his misconduct. Not only that, Prince Ding would also lose a lot of prestige because of this incident.
Just imagine, a prince who has just gained power, instead of being strict with himself and prudent in his actions, disregards the overall situation and sleeps with the wife of a loyal subject after a banquet... To put it nicely, he is complacent, to put it bluntly, he is licentious and immoral!
If this matter is not handled properly, the harm will be widespread, even enough to destroy Prince Ding...
Emperor Jianxi was in a complicated mood. If this had happened to any other of his sons, he would have been furious and punished severely. But this was Zhao Xi. He had an extremely noble first half of his life, but due to some strange combination of circumstances, he had suffered so much. With all these experiences in mind, it was understandable that he was overly happy and became a little carried away by success.
Moreover, his son is over thirty years old, without a wife or children. I heard that before his identity was exposed, he had an engagement with the daughter of the Qi family, and it was Cheng Qian who arranged it unintentionally. The Qi family looked down on him. Haha, what kind of virtue does the daughter of the Qi family have? How can she be worthy of the future emperor of the Great Chu?
Emperor Jianxi felt distressed again as he thought about it.
But his sympathy was useless, as his sympathy would not make the officials forgive Prince Ding's mistakes.
Emperor Jianxi asked in a deep voice, "What exactly happened last night? The three of you must tell the truth. Anyone who tells a lie will be charged with deceiving the emperor!"
Emperor Jianxi raised his chin and pointed at Madam Fang, "You speak first!"
Emperor Jianxi had his reasons for doing this. He let Madam Fang and Fang Dong speak first. If there was something mysterious about it, it would also give Zhao Xi a chance to provide additional evidence.
Mrs. Fang was stared at by Fang Dong's violent gaze and was so frightened that she was shaking all over. Tears flowed down her cheeks which were swollen and stained with slap marks. Her eyebrows were furrowed like smoke and her chin was sharp. She knelt there gracefully in white clothes, like a willow in the gentle breeze. She was really pretty, but her eyes were rolling around and she didn't look very honest.
Emperor Jianxi glanced at it and then looked away, picked up the teacup and took a sip casually.
Madam Fang sobbed, "Your Majesty, last night...last night, my husband and I went to Prince Ding's mansion to congratulate him. Everything was fine, but then he went drinking with some colleagues and sent me to Xiaoxiang Garden to wait. I listened and chatted with the other ladies in Xiaoxiang Garden. Madam Li said her dog had just given birth to five puppies, and Madam Miao said her brother had already been engaged to his wife's parents, and they'd chosen a date for the wedding..."
"I was just listening quietly on the side. Later, several ladies left. I became impatient and sent someone to tell my husband a message. However, all the servants waiting in Xiaoxiang Garden had left. Suddenly, a gust of wind blew in and blew out the candles in the hall. I was afraid of the dark, so I went out and happened to encounter Wuwu..." Mrs. Fang picked up her handkerchief and wiped her eyes.
"When His Highness Prince Ding saw me, he picked me up. I struggled and cried for help, but the servants in the palace acted as if nothing had happened," Madam Fang's sobs grew louder. "Prince Ding took me to his room and raped me!"
Zhao Xi, who had been listening silently, could no longer bear it. He frowned and retorted sharply, "Nonsense! I didn't even see you last night!"
He looked at Emperor Jianxi and said, "Father, I went straight back to my room to sleep last night after getting drunk. The servants in the palace can testify that I have absolutely not done anything immoral while drunk!"
Madam Fang said bitterly, "Of course the prince's people will speak for him. Since the prince knows that he was drunk last night, how can he be sure what happened?"
"Your Majesty, please help me! When I woke up, my husband had beaten me half to death. He was afraid of the prince's power and insisted that I... was shameless and seduced the prince. Your Majesty, please investigate. I have been a wife for many years and have always abided by the rules of marriage. How could I be accused of seduction? If Your Majesty cannot prove my innocence, then I would rather die in this hall than suffer this false accusation!"
Fang Dong was furious and said, "You bitch, you are so bold, how dare you try to get close to the prince... Your Majesty, I can prove that Jia has always been a whore and unfaithful woman..."
Mrs. Fang interrupted him, "Since you say I'm not a faithful wife, then what have I done that's not a faithful wife? Tell me, can you tell me?"
Fang Dong was furious and slapped Madam Fang in the face, knocking her to the ground. "I told you you're not a good wife, and you're still trying to argue. Who are you trying to kill?"
Madam Fang covered her face with her hands and looked at Fang Dong, a sudden hatred flashing through her eyes. She then frowned and cried weakly.
Emperor Jianxi slammed the table and shouted angrily, "How dare you! Fang Dong, what do you think this place is?!"
"You have the right to hit someone here?!"
Fang Dong bowed down and confessed his crime.
Emperor Jianxi took a deep breath, "Jia, please stop crying. If Prince Ding really did...did that kind of thing to you, then I will definitely deal with it fairly and give you justice!"
Madam Fang's voice was as soft as a mosquito's. "Thank you, Your Majesty..."
Emperor Jianxi frowned and looked at Zhao Xi, "Prince Ding, you say!"
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